Vitamins Must-Knows

In today’s ever-changing and busy world, it is quite surprising to meet a person who can eat three full nutritious meals a day. Due to the demanding jobs that we have and the several stressors we encounter, no wonder we end up relying up our good health with the intake of vitamins. This should never be the case. Getting to know about the various vitamins and their equivalent supplements might probably confuse each one of us. Therefore, here is a list of a few vitamins must-knows:

• A lot of people believe that vitamins are wonder drugs. This is untrue because vitamins are not medicines used to cure illnesses like colds or taken to compensate lifestyle concerns such as combating stress and depression.

• Your body only needs minute amounts of vitamins. Thus, it is totally wrong to think that the more you take, the more the better because taking them in large doses may actually harm your body. High doses of Vitamin A, for instance, do not cure cancer and when taken without an underlying clinical deficiency over a long period of time, can be toxic to the body. Additionally, Vitamin B6 which, when taken in large doses may actually cause damage to the nerves. Always bear in mind to only take high-dose supplements if recommended under medical advice.

• Vitamin supplements cannot substitute a healthy diet but can help improve an insufficient diet.

• Although some studies show that taking more than 1000mg per day of Vitamin C relieves a common cold about half a day shorter, there is still no strong evidence to prove that vitamin C indeed helps prevent you from catching a cold despite exhaustive research worldwide.

• Our body only needs 45mgs of Vitamin C a day so excess amounts will be excreted. Too much intake of Vitamin C may cause abdominal cramps, nausea, kidney stones, fatigue, headache and diarrhea.

• Several reviews conclude that Vitamin E is not a beneficial antioxidant to help prevent death from heart disease. Moreover, based on research findings, Vitamin E has no correlation with anti-aging creams and maintaining a youthful look.

• Smokers use up twice as much Vitamin C in comparison to non-smokers for their metabolic processes.

• Bright yellow urine indicates that your body is metabolizing the B vitamins. Hence, there is nothing to be bothered about, as this is a good sign.

• Medical sciences have proven that Vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, vitamin B complex and vitamin C all play a role in losing weight and keeping you in good shape without any side effects. B-vitamins burn maximum calories after speeding up metabolism resulting to fewer calories to be deposited as fat. It doesn’t mean purposely handpicking these special vitamins but carefully opting for foods with adequate amounts of these vitamins can expedite metabolic activities thereby enhancing weight loss.

• Multivitamins if taken in reasonable doses are beneficial for the brain.

• Vitamin B6 plays a vital role in the production of serotonin that is why it is often recommended for those suffering from sleep disorders such as insomnia as well as in the treatment of night leg cramps.

• People of extremes of age will require more vitamins than the younger ones primarily because bodies of elderly people get less capable in utilizing nutritional substances. We all know that older people are more prone to simple fall, so they will definitely need plenty of Vitamin D for stronger bones. Vitamin K is another vitamin that is also important for them although usually neglected. This vitamin helps in the blood clotting and keeps the circulation of the blood in good condition. Vitamin K is also known to aid in the prevention of the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease.

• Those who worry about making their hair thicker, vitamins do the trick too. Vitamin A produces healthy sebum in the scalp while Vitamin E improves the circulation of the scalp. To prevent graying of the hair, Vitamin B6 and B12 are what you need.

Let us all remember that Vitamins are only supplements, and they do not function on their own. Conveniently adding an extra dietary boost of some of these vitamins to our regular diet will perhaps bridge the gaps between what we nutritionally need.